Yemen’s internationally recognized government said its forces widened air and ground operations across Taiz governorate over the past day, claiming dozens of Houthi fighters were killed or wounded as battles intensify for high ground and supply routes in a campaign tied to the wider Yemen Taiz Houthi front and Red Sea shipping security.
The government’s military media center on Sept. 27 reported airstrikes on Houthi positions in five areas of Taiz and shelling along multiple fronts, while field reports described advances onto peaks such as Jabal Bazel that overlook Houthi logistics. More than 146,000 people have been displaced since fighting reignited in July after a long lull following the 2022 U.N.-brokered truce.
Yemen Taiz Houthi fighting spreads across five districts
Government statements listed operations in western al-Waziiya, eastern weapons and ammunition sites at Mafraq Mawiya and al-Dhukrah, a Houthi gathering in southern Hayfan, and vehicles in northwestern Gurab. Forces also said they thwarted infiltration attempts on the al-Ahtoub and Hadran fronts and shelled concentrations on the al-Kadha and al-Aqroud lines. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the battlefield claims.
The push follows Houthi seizures earlier in the campaign of the Red Sea port city of Mocha and expanded control near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a chokepoint linking Europe and Asia. Presidential Leadership Council head Rashad al-Alimi has urged citizens to mobilize as the government tries to reverse those gains and restore authority across northern and western areas the Houthis still dominate.
Saudi air defenses and Red Sea stakes
Early Saturday, a Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted two ballistic missiles and two drones launched by the Houthis toward Riyadh and Khamis Mushait. Riyadh has been using Red Sea export routes more heavily while the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted by the wider U.S.-Israel-Iran war. Houthis have threatened Saudi-linked shipping through Bab al-Mandeb and accused Saudi Arabia of strikes inside Yemen; the government, backed by Riyadh, says Houthis employ Iranian air-defense weapons that endanger civilian aviation over the Red Sea.
Those maritime risks help explain partner deployments such as France’s decision to send troops to guard Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu oil terminal, even as Paris says it is not joining the Yemen war itself. Saudi diplomats at the UN called for condemnation of Houthi attacks, while Yemeni Vice President Abdullah Abdulkader al-Alimi-Bawzer warned that shipping security was being used as “blackmail” against the global economy.
Allies, Mecca pact, and Iran’s distance claim
Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman said joint efforts with Pakistan would continue under last month’s Mecca Joint Defence Agreement after talks with Field Marshal Asim Munir; military chiefs from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey also reviewed threats in Riyadh. The U.S. has not pledged new combat involvement, though CENTCOM’s commander met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah after Mocha fell.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Al Jazeera the Houthis’ actions were not directed by Tehran and urged dialogue between “brothers,” even as Western and regional officials continue to describe Houthi capabilities through the lens of Iran’s proxy networks outlined in IRGC militant-network reporting and related assessments of proxy leverage.
Humanitarian toll climbs as front lines shift
UNICEF’s Yemen representative said at least 146,000 people have been displaced in three weeks, mostly from or within Taiz, with 15 children verified killed and 14 injured since early September. U.N. agencies still estimate more than 22 million Yemenis need aid and 18.3 million face acute food insecurity. Casualty totals from the latest offensive remain contested, but local media put recent deaths in the hundreds.
Whether government advances around Taiz can blunt Houthi leverage over Bab al-Mandeb—or simply prolong a grinding displacement crisis—will shape Red Sea insurance rates and Gulf security diplomacy into October. Core battlefield and diplomatic details were reported by Al Jazeera and Saudi intercept claims by Al Arabiya.